JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A former North Florida State Attorney was sentenced to 40 months in prison in federal court Monday, according to court documents.
Jeffrey Siegmeister resigned as State Attorney in December 2019 after allegations surfaced that he took a bribe from a former defense attorney to go easy on of his clients.
Ernest Maloney Page, the former defense attorney who offered the bribe, was sentenced to six months in federal prison by a Jacksonville judge.
Documents say that Page's client owned a tractor dealership in Live Oak and Siegmeister told Page he wanted to purchase a tractor.
Page encouraged Siegmeister to visit the client at his dealership.
In August 2017, Siegmeister told Page that he would give favorable treatment to the client for one of his pending DUI cases if the client gave him a $10,000 discount on the tractor -- or he would give him favorable treatment in both cases for a discount of $20,000, documents say.
Page's client indicated to him that he would like to accept the offer and agreed to provide the $20,000 discount. According to documents, Paige told Seigmesiter it was a deal.
Siegmeister pleaded guilty to conspiracy to use a facility of commerce for unlawful activity, that is bribery and extortion, conspiracy to commit extortion, wire fraud, and filing a false tax return.
He will get credit for time served.
